To not feel proud of my country at the moment?

[Livingtothefull]

I really want to be proud - there are plenty of things to be proud of in the UK (great people/culture/heritage) - but the way we are governed at the moment just sickens me.

We have a liar and a criminal as Prime Minister, I can't bear the sight or sound of him now. 'Partygate' showed us just how much contempt he has for the British public. People are facing huge cost of living rises and poverty, and the Government offered nothing to help address this in the Queen's speech.

The latest is their proposal to break international law.

By the way the Monarchy was shown up as the useless and empty institution it is through the prorogation of Parliament episode, far from a supposed guardian of democracy. I don't have anything against the RF personally, but as an institution it has presided over all of this and yet has nothing to say about it all.

I am sick of hearing about the Jubilee as well, I see nothing to celebrate in what we have all been through over the past couple of years and are facing now. 'Rich privileged woman lives a long time' does not mean anything imo, in the context of the huge numbers of people who have died before their time due to Covid. Many of them elderly and vulnerable people in care homes - where the Government has recently been found (again) to have broken the law by putting them in harm's way.

I try to make this better by not voting Tory.

Oh i was trying to think of what to say but this pretty much sums it up for me

the sad thing i find on threads like this is the calls (not that many on this thread but it would be nice to have none) for posters who are unhappy with the government or the way the county is run etc to leave the country

I don't believe that Theresa May started the downfall at all, that was 100% David Cameron and his stupid referendum, then throwing his toys out of the pram and resigning when the result didn't go the way he expected it to. I am still angry with him

Totally agree! He should be in the Tower for treason as far as I’m concerned!

YANBU. For some time now, I haven't been able to shake the feeling that I'm living in a very early-days Gotham.

At the moment is one thing.
COVID recovery, cost of living crisis are global. We do not hear much of the nitty gritty in other countries

Corruption/ criminality in parliament is in the headlines but can be dealt with at a future election.

In general we are very lucky to be in the country we are. Plenty of others would be delighted to be here.

In general we are very lucky to be in the country we are. Plenty of others would be delighted to be here.

So we should be proud because we can say: at least we're better off than corrupt impoverished kleptocracies?

Actually it's not how democracy works, it's how a shit electoral system that almost nowhere else in the world uses "works". The majority of people by some considerable margin didn't vote Tory.

Yes, that about it. Ignore downhil slide and flag wave.

Very true, @Kendodd. NI is but an afterthought to many, who couldn't give a fuck about it. Not everyone, of course, but a pretty significant number of people.

I remember watching a piece where people on the street were polled about their thoughts on NI after Brexit. They were asked to outline NI on a map, most had no clue. When asked about their thoughts re Brexit and NI/ROI the responses were 'the Irish are just bitter because they lost' (lost what exactly, it was a referendum, not a competition), 'not our problem', and generally a shrug and who cares mindset.

I think a true patriot is not the one eyed flag waver. It's the individual who loves their country, warts and all, but sees the warts, and wants to improve matters, to get rid of, or at least diminish, the warts.

I think the biggest wart (or should I say boil?), is that this country is run by people who don't care about the country and the people, who are not 'of' the people - who are so far removed from the general life experience of most individuals that they have no understanding, no empathy. Their focus is themselves, and 'their sort of people'. It makes for bad and corrupt governance. If we could lance that boil - perhaps by changes to the electoral system? - I think an awful lot of things would then have the possibility of significant improvement.

I think it’s misplaced to use the ‘flag waver’ insult for anyone who wants to do something in the community for jubilee

I’m in a very Labour area, I doubt it’s politically aligned, it’s just something nice for the children and adults

I read these comments from many and I see such a wide gap between what they say they dislike and the niceness of people around me

MarshaBradyo - I did not state anything that implied I was in any way, shape or form, referring to the Jubilee, you - incorrectly as it turns out - inferred it.

I think that for many, the Jubilee will be a jolly old show, especially for many older people, and the monarchists amongst us!

I do see though, that if you are currently unable to afford the power to warm up a pizza, or are a trifle concerned about whether you're going to continue to be able to run your dialysis machine, some might find it a bit hard to stomach. Cos it ain't gonna come cheap.

Mbonsz I should have quoted it may have come across badly - I didn’t mean you, but earlier posts which have been more disparaging re ‘flag wavers’

Oh right, fair enough!

(I have a little NZ flag in the window, so I'm a flag waver myself. . ., I'd better put a Union Jack in there to keep it company!)

Have you ever lived abroad OP? I lived abroad in a developing country for work, and my DP is from another European country that we spent quite a lot of time in. I can absolutely say I really appreciate this country based on my life in those countries. It is comparatively safe and stable here, with a welfare system that is a safety net if life gets hard. Our climate is not extreme, and our police are (mostly) very honest and compassionate if you need them. Of course there are some issues here as there are anywhere but in the grand scheme of things I'm glad to live here. I wish we didn't have the royal family, but no government will have the balls to offer a referendum on their existence unfortunately. And as far as the tories go, I don't like them or agree that they are at all representative of the vast majority of the public here. But Labour are not some wonderful alternative to them either. They have shown themselves to be shambolic and potentially dangerous to us all too. So, all we can do is make the best of things here, accept what we can do, and exercise our democratic rights at elections. Or move somewhere else and see if other countries are much better, as you are alluding to.

Rotten government & rotten monarch & hangers on. I certainly will not be celebrating 70 years of pampering & elitism of a waste of space woman.

The MET police are neither honest nor compassionate.

We are living under a government who are 50% rotten to the very core and 50% just complete fucking idiots.

YANBU.

Given Brexit (an act of economic self-harm) and now the worst Prime Minister in our history, whilst I am proud of many of our traditions and aspects of our culture, I hide coming from these shores when visiting outside the UK. No clothing that could identify me, and a sudden inability to speak English (usually go places where I can speak enough of the local language or French as an alternative).

I spent a year in Australia and another year in New Zealand before Covid. It made me realise that living in the UK comes with a lot of perks and we should be thankful for that (like no charges for calling out an ambulance or fire engine for example). However, that doesn't mean the UK can't do better. The handling of Brexit, covid and the cost of living crisis has been appalling. Not to mention all the MPs being accused of rape etc. I don't think there's anything wrong with feeling shame about where the UK is currently at, and its only by acknowledging that can we hope things get better again.

I bet your from a very middle class background, university, but resent that others have done better than you

Im that person and feel no resentment. I’m low middle class though. I just think the Royals are washed up, expensive, and pointless and don’t really want to support them. I’m a Republican.

l would say going to university probably makes you think about stuff. That’s why the OP doesn’t like the Royals.

Hey there Debbie

Weren't you proud on Saturday night when Sam Ryder came second in the Eurovision SC?

Yes, I think I'm going to pretend to be Irish when I travel abroad. I'm embarrassed to admit to being English now, we just look like fools.